Page 4 May 29, 2014 TORRANCE TRIBUNE Election 2014 Questions for the City Council Candidates The Torrance Tribune complied a number of questions from Torrance residents and businesses to pose to the candidates for Mayor and City Council. We will publish two questions per week. Each candidate has a 200-word limit per question. Herald Publications does not edit or change any candidate’s answers. What will you do for our seniors? Heidi Ashcraft: There are several issues I think extremely important to seniors; safety, transportation, health, and housing. Joining the 5-0 Club for $5.00 a year is an excellent way to find out what Torrance offers seniors, it needs better advertising. I would like to see the Senior Taxi Program offer up to 16 tickets per calendar month. I attended a “Seniors Don’t Be Scammed” presentation last month, the room was at maximum occupancy. This program in conjunction with personal safety issues should be a monthly event. I am on the Board of Directors for Torrance So. Bay YMCA, we deliver meals to seniors. We found many seniors were feeding pets with their food because the senior couldn’t afford to buy petfood, therefore the senior was not eating properly. A partnership was formed with Centinela Feed & Pet Store, now petfood is delivered with the senior meal for those in need. We need to do an assessment of seniors needing meals and affordable housing. Tim Goodrich: Our seniors are very important and I will advocate for them. That’s why I’ve been endorsed by seniors across our community, including many at the New Horizon’s senior complex. As a Councilmember, I will work to ensure our seniors are safe by continuing the “Seniors: Don’t be Scammed” program and by making sure our Police and Fire Departments have the resources they need to be able to respond safety and health emergencies. I’ll also work to improve the Dial a Ride program, so our seniors are able to maintain their quality of life after they stop driving. Finally, I’ll work to make sure our seniors are able to continue their participation in our City as part of my plan to harness more city volunteers and open up the city to more cultural activities. Michael Griffiths: Seniors are a very important, growing part of our community. I have already shown a commitment to our seniors through the years of fundraising with the Torrance-South Bay YMCA, where a significant portion of the money raised goes to support programs that the YMCA offers the seniors here, including senior meals, and other senior programs. I certainly want to continue to serve the senior community as a City Councilmember. Whether that is by helping to ensure that there are good senior housing developments approved, or find some money in the budget to provide additional Torrance Community Transit tickets to help with senior transportation needs. And of course, we need to ensure that our public safety efforts remain high to ensure the protection of our seniors from criminals that prey on them, including making that a focus of our public education efforts. I also would promote the senior Home Improvement Program. Milton Herring: Answer not submitted by deadline. Rahmat H. Khan: Answer not submitted by deadline. Leilani A. Kimmel-Dagostino: I will continue to fund and support the programs that I was passionate about as a member of the Torrance Commission on Aging for six years. Those include the Dial-a-Ride Taxi Program, the Senior Tour Program, and the Torrance Police Department’s “Seniors Don’t Be Scammed” seminars. I will also see to it that we have computers installed in the Tillem Senior Center and the Bartlett Senior Center with access to computer instruction. Also, if funding is available, I would like to bring back the $100.00/month subsidy of the space rental of low income seniors who owned their own mobile homes. This was discontinued after the Redevelopment Agency was terminated. I will continue to push for affordable senior housing. Ryan H. Mand: Answer not submitted by deadline. Aurelio Mattucci: When my family moved to Torrance in 1977, we had to leave my grandparents behind. I don’t think there is anything more painful than seeing an elderly person cry. Since then I see my grandparents in every elderly person around me. I see that our city needs to improve transportation, a key element in keeping our seniors connected to their community. Part of my plan is to give our senior citizens flexibility based on their schedules not ours. Bigger and more informative signage at the bus stops. Covered bus stops, longer hours of operation and more routes that would capture more senior housing complexes are also in my plan. The foundation of our city was built by our predecessors and the hard working men and women are the reason we have such a wonderful city. As a city we need to listen to their needs and fix our avenues of communication. I’d like to introduce an ALLIN ONE hotline, where seniors can simply dial a number and ask for anything, from transportation needs to helping throw out the trash. We can put together an all-volunteer task force to better serve our community. I’d like to incorporate my Mattucci Project in that task force. Come June 3rd, vote Aurelio Mattucci, a truly Independent Candidate. Omar Navarro: I think that we need to make sure we take care of our seniors; after all they opened the doors for our future. I think we need to focus on taking care of our priorities just as they did for us. I would like to make government more accessible for our seniors by providing them with better quality service to our senior citizen community. As a proud husband, son, and grandson I believe that our city government needs to have efficiency and an open mind to listen to the residents. I’ve had my experiences speaking with Frank Scotto in public and in person along with other council members as well. Clint Andrew Paulson: I want to make sure our seniors can trust that their city government is working on their behalf. For example, if our seniors need to call 911, I want them to be confident that the ambulance that will come and provide critical emergency medical care will give them the highest quality of service. When I see our local politicians taking large sums of money from Gerber and McCormick ambulance, I worry that our city’s next emergency services contract will be influenced by campaign donations and not based purely on the quality of service. That’s why I am not taking any money from anyone for my campaign. I don’t think the decisions made at City Hall on behalf of our seniors should be impacted by the corrupting influence of money spent on politicians. Geoffrey Rizzo: The City of Torrance currently offers many programs and activities for seniors through Community Services. I think the biggest service offered by the City is through Transit via the Community Transit Program. Having cared for my mother, I understand the importance of maintaining a sense of independence. When she was no longer able to drive the program was vital to her in doing just that. She was able to get to the store, doctor appointments, or the department store without relying on others for transportation. A question came up in the candidate forums about increasing the number of vouchers from 12 to 16 per month. Having seen and experienced the benefit of the program as it helped maintain my mother’s independence and quality of life, I support such an increase. Alex M. See: Answer not submitted by deadline. Norm “Opa” Segal: I am passing on this question to allow for a longer answer to the next question. Charlotte Ann Svolos: I have a unique perspective and admiration for the senior community. I was legally adopted by my grandparents, which allows me to have a first person perspective on the historical context as well as the obstacles. We have some nice programs for seniors that address giving out information and social opportunities but I feel we fail on a couple of key points. We do not have an adequate amount of affordable senior housing. We also do not give enough ride coupons to allow mobility if the individual is unable to drive. We reduced the subsidized ride coupons when the economy was tough. It is beginning to recover and it should be one of the first things we return. The housing issue is far more complicated because of cost and regulation. I live next door to a single family home with a licensed assisted living facility. I think attracting more of these types of locations would give a balance of home environment at a stable cost that would allow seniors to not feel lost in an industrial facility. We should also collect resources provided by the community in one easy place. Very few people know of the outreach for seniors provided through First Serve. I volunteer for the group as a way to further serve the community. John Paul Tabakian: I will assure that our seniors feel safe in Torrance and have access to all the wonderful senior friendly services of our community. This requires that we have enough money to fund these services. We need to get our financial house in order. The Torrance political elite, along with union blessed empty suits, are lying that Torrance is not facing a pending economic nightmare. Toyota is leaving and Honda is next. I am concerned that Torrance will follow the route to economic ruin, just like Azusa, Bell, Compton, El Segundo, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Stockton. I am 38 years old and own my own home 1.5 miles from my family home. Through hard work, I was able to complete my education, start a business, work in higher education, and purchase my own home. Vote for me and I will assure that your children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren will inherit a city better than the one you live in now. My parents and grandparents taught me the best lesson in finances: live below your means and save for rainy days. I will apply those rules in city government. If we act quickly, Torrance will overcome these financial hurdles. Vote for John Paul Tabakian for Torrance City Council on June 3, 2014! Kurt Weideman: Torrance has a very proactive program for our senior citizens - programs that any city would point to with pride. Torrance can boast of having four active Senior Citizen Centers; Bartlett, Tillim, Walteria Park and the Recreation Center. Torrance has a Senior Ride Program, Dial- A-Lift. Torrance provides trips to areas of local interest via Torrance Travelers. Torrance supports a repository for resource services on aging issues – Focal Point. Torrance has a free program in which Senior Citizens can have a variety of home improvement projects performed (i.e. painting, light plumbing, Tap into the limitless power of a Vistage group Discover what thousands of top CEOs already know. Vistage Works. Join Us Tuesday, June 3, 2014 Register Now vistage.com/southbaysuccess See City Council Candidates, page 5
Torrance 05_29_14
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